Vessel bases



Aug. 12, 1958 R. "r. CORNELIUS VESSEL BASES Filed Sept. 4. 1956 INVENTOR RICHARD T. CORNELIUS ATTORNEYS United States Paten VESSEL BASES Richard T. Cornelius, Minneapolis, Minn. Application September 4, 1956, Serial No. 607,947 8 Claims. (Cl. 220-69) The herein disclosed invention relates to vessel bases and has for an object to providea base adapted to be permanently attached to a pressurized vessel.

An object of the invention resides in providing a base particularly adapted for application to a vessel having a convex or dome-shaped bottom.

An object of the invention resides in providing a base constructed of resilient material, such as rubber or the like, and which will prevent injury to the vessel.

Another object of the invention resides in constructing the base with a sheet-like covering adapted to fit the contour of the bottom of the receptacle and to be cemented or welded thereto.

A still further object of the invention resides in forming on said covering elongated depending radially extending feet which terminate short of the center of the covering.

Another object of the invention resides in providing projections disposedinwardly of said feet and in alignment with certain of them.

Other objects of the invention reside in the novel combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter illustrated and/or described.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is an inverted view of a vessel illustrating an embodiment of the invention applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is an elevational-sectional view taken, on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

For the purpose of illustrating the invention, the vessel withwhich the base is employed has been illustrated as a tank 10. This tank is constructed of sheet metal having a circumferential wall 11 and a dome-shaped bottom 12. These parts may be drawn from a single sheet of metal or the parts welded together as desired. Any desired form of top construction may be utilized with the tank, and since the invention is only concerned with the bottom the top construction has not been shown in the drawings.

The invention proper consists of a base 13 constructed of rubber or some other similar suitable flexible material. This base consists of a covering 14 sheet-like in form and which is formed to closely fit the contour of the bottom 12 of the vessel. This covering is cemented or welded to said bottom by means of a process now well known in the art. An air vent 22 in said covering permits the escape of air trapped in the covering when applying the same. The covering 14 completely covers the inner part of bottom 12 though it may fall short of the circumferential wall 11.

Issuing downwardly from and formed integral with the covering 14 are a number of elongated feet 15. These feet conform to the curvature of the covering 14 and are arranged in a circle. Said feet extend radially inwardly from localities adjacent the outer periphery of the covering and have soles 16 at the outermost portion of the same and which lie in a common plane. These soles project downwardly beyond the lowermost portion 17 of the covering 14 to raise the tank above the surface on which it rests. The inner ends 118 of the feet 15 taper upwardly toward said covering and terminate short of the center of the same to leave a space 19 within the confines of said ends of the feet.

In the space 19 and issuing downwardly from the covering 14 are a number of frusto-conical projections 21. These projections are also constructed of rubber and are integral with the covering 14. These projections are disposed in alignment with every other foot 15, there being one projection at the center of the covering. These projections protect the vessel in the event that the same is deposited on the corner of a structure which might be received in the space 19. By means of this construction, grooves 20 are formed between the feet 15 and which diverge toward their outer ends and throughout the extent thereof. All of the projections and the feet taper from the localities of attachment thereof to the covering 14 and toward the lowermost portions thereof to free any mud or other material which may enter the grooves 20 between the feet 15 or the space 19.

The advantages of the invention are manifest. The tank may be roughly handled without injury to the same, thus making it possible to construct the same out of relatively thin material. By means of the feet arranged as shown the tank can be dropped so as to strike the base at a corner of the same. The base also protects the receptacle when the receptacle is deposited on a protruding corner and which may engage the base within the confines of the feet. The vessel, when used for milk, can be run through the regular cleaning machinery used for cleaning milk cans and without reconstruction thereof. By means of the arrangement of the feet and their construction, any dirt or other matter entering the grooves 20 between the feet or the space 19 is easily washed oil. and removed from the base.

Changes in the specific form of the invention, as herein.

described, may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is:

1. In a vessel constructed of metal and having a convex bottom, a base constructed of a flexible material and having a sheet-like covering conforming to the configuration of said bottom and adhered thereto, a plurality of solid circumferentially spaced elongated feet integral with said bottom and extending in a radial direction, said feet being spaced circumferentially to form grooves therebetween increasing in width throughout their extent from. their inner to their outer ends, said feet having soles at their outer ends forengagement with a supporting surface and disposed below the lowermost portion of the covering and other portions disposed inwardly thereof and tapering upwardly from said soles to said covering, said feet tapering in a downward direction to cause said grooves to widen throughout their extent toward the lowermost portions thereof.

2. In a vessel constructed of metal and having a convex bottom, a base constructed of a flexible material and having a sheet-like covering conforming to the configuration of said bottom and adhered thereto, a plurality of solid circumferentially spaced elongated feet integral with said bottom and extending in a radial direction, said feet being spaced circumferentially to form grooves therebetween increasing in width throughout their extent from their inner to their outer ends, said feet having soles at their outer ends for engagement with a supporting surface and disposed below the lowermost portion of the covering, said feet terminating short of the center of the covering to leave a space at such locality bounded by the inner ends of said feet, and a plurality of projections extending outwardly from said covering and disposed in said space Patented Aug. 12, 1958,

said projections being arranged in a circle concentric with said bottom.

3. In a vessel constructed of metal and having a convex bottom, a base constructed of a flexible material and having a sheet-like covering conforming to the configuration of said bottom and adhered thereto, a plurality of solid circumferentially spaced elongated feet integral with said bottom and extending in a radial direction, said feet being spaced circumferentially to form grooves therebetween increasing in width throughout their extent from their inner to their outer ends, said feet having soles at their outer ends for engagement with a supporting surface and disposed below the lowermost portion of the covering, said feet terminating short of the center of the covering to leave a space at such locality bounded by theinner ends of said feet, a plurality of projections extending outwardly from said covering and disposed in said space, said projections lying in alignment 'ith some of said feet.

4. In a vessel constructed of metal and having a convex bottom, a base constructed of a flexible material and having a sheet-like covering conforming to the configuration of said bottom and adhered thereto, a plurality of solid circumferentially spaced elongated feet integral with said bottom and extending in a radial direction, said feet being spaced circumferentially to form grooves therebetween increasing in width throughout their extent from their inner to their outer ends, said feet having soles at their outer ends for engagement with a supporting surface and disposed below the lowermost portion of the covering, said feet terminating short of the center of the covering to leave a space at such locality bounded by the inner ends of said feet, a plurality of projections extending outwardly from said covering and disposed in said space, said projections terminating short of a plane containing the lower surfaces of the soles of said feet.

5. In a vessel constructed of metal and having a convex bottom, a base constructed of a flexible material and having a sheet-like covering conforming to the configuration of said bottom and adhered thereto, a plurality of solid circumferentially spaced elongated feet integral with said bottom and extending in a radial direction, said feet being spaced circumferentially to form grooves thercbetween increasing in width throughout their extent from their inner to their outer ends, said feet having soles at their outer ends for engagement with a supporting surface and disposed below the lowermost portion of the covering, said feet terminating short of the center of the covering to leave a space at such locality bounded by the inner r ends of said feet, a plurality of projections extending outwardly from said covering and disposed in said space, said projections being frusto-conical in form.

6. In a vessel constructed of metal and having a convex bottom, a base constructed of a flexible material and having a sheet-like covering conforming to the configuration of said bottom and adhered thereto, a plurality of solid circumferentially spaced elongated feet integral with said bottom and extending in a radial direction, said feet being spaced circumferentially to form grooves therebetween increasing in width throughout their extent from their inner to their outer ends, said feet having soles at their outer ends for engagement with a supporting surface and disposed below the lowermost portion of the covering and other portions disposed inwardly thereof, the circumferential spacing of said feet being less than the maximum height of said feet to protect the portions of said bottom between said legs from injury from engagement with extraneous objects.

7. In a vessel constructed of metal and having a convex bottom, a base constructed of a flexible material and having a sheet-like covering conforming to the configuration of said bottom and adhered thereto, a plurality of solid circumferentially spaced elongated feet integral with said bottom and extending in a radial direction, said feet being spaced circumferentially to form grooves therebetween increasing in width throughout their extent from their inner to their outer ends, said feet having soles at their outer ends for engagement with a supporting surface and disposed below the lowermost portion of the covering and other portions disposed inwardly thereof, said feet being bendable in a circumferential direction about substantially radial axes.

8. In a vessel constructed of metal and having a convex bottom, a base constructed of a flexible material and having a sheet-like covering conforming to the configuration of said bottom and adhered thereto, an even number of solid circumferentially spaced elongated feet integral with said bottom and extending in a radial direction, said feet being spaced circumferentially to form grooves therebetween increasing in width throughout their extent from their inner to their outer ends, said feet having soles at their outer ends for engagement with a supporting surface and disposed below the lowermost portion of the covering, said feet terminating short of the center of the covering to leave a space at such locality bounded by the inner ends of said feet, a plurality of projections equal to half the number of feet extending outwardly from said covering and disposed in said space, said projections lying in alignment with alternate feet and being arranged in a circle concentric with the bottom of the vessel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

